Rotary blade safety razor



April 1952 E. c. GARRARD ETAL 2,594,764

ROTARY BLADE SAFETY RAZOR Filed Sept. 25, 1947' fly mndv R W Jim/we Patented Apr. 29, 1952 2,594,164 ROTARY BLADE SAFETY RAZOR Ernest- Charlesv Garrard,

neth Harrold,. Taplow,

The Fairey Aviation England Application September 23 In Great Britain S 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a safety razor of the type in which a bladed rotary member is arranged to be revolved within a member which may be of cylindrical or other shape and is formed longitudinally with a slot, one side of which is sharpened to constitute a fixed cutting edge and the opposite side of which is of comb-like configuration to constitute a safety guard.

In contradistinction to these known constructions the present invention has for its object to enable the user of a safety razor readily to set the two cutters in relation to one another to suit his immediate requirements, e. g. coarse, medium or fine, for it has been realized that not only do the skins of different individuals call for different settings, but so also does the skin of any one individual user according to climatic and other conditions, and that it is the variation of the width of the axial gap which is the primary means by which variation of the closeness of shave may be obtained.

To this end, therefore, and in accordance with the present invention, means readily operable by the user, are provided, on a rotary safety razor of the type hereinbefore set forth, for expanding and/or contracting the inner peripheral dimension of the head.

The desired dimensional adjustment may be effected, for instance, by movement of a wedge axially in relation to the head.

It is an important object of the invention to provide a head for a safety razor of the type in which a bladed member is revolved within a slotted head, said head being cylindrically tubular and having a longitudinal slot provided with a cutting edge engageable with a bladed member disposed within the head, and screw wedge means readily operable by the user for expanding the inner diameter of the head when moved in one direction and for permitting contraction of the head when moved in a second direction.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of one form of head for a safety razor of the type hereinbefore set forth;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary axial section on the line 2-2, Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view thereof on a larger scale;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a is a hollow cylindrical razor head formed longitudinally with a slot 27, one side of which is sharpened to Maidenhead, and Ken- England, assignors, to mpany Limited, Hayes,

1947, Serial No. 775,690- eptember 26, 1946 constitute a fixed cutting edge e and the opposite side of which is of comb-like configuration to constitute a safety guard d. The head a is cut at the centre of its length to permit a tongue 0., Figure 3, to be bent out therefrom to enable the head a to be secured to a handle (not shown).

A tapered plug 0 is arranged to be screwed into, and out of, an-internally tapered and threaded split bush 1) located in the'end of the cylindrical member a, means being provided for retaining the plug 0 and bush p in the cylindrical member a and for restricting the angular movement of the plug 0. The split bush p is secured in the end of the cylinder a by brazing or the like. The tapered plug 0 is formed at its outer end with recesses q, q and a cover plate 1', gapped as at s and which is sweated to the end of the cylinder 11 after the tapered plug 0 has been located, is apertured centrally as at t and formed with two diametrally opposed slots u, u. The slots u, u together with the central aperture t in the cover plate r expose the recesses q, q in the tapered plug 0 when the latter is in one angular position and permit the introduction of a suitably shaped key (not shown) for turning the plug 0, the key being retained in engagement with the plug 0 v until it has been turned through or multiples thereof. The axial travel of the tapered plug 0 is limited in one direction by the cover plate 1' and in the other direction by a housing 11, Figures 2 and 4, for the cutter bearing. Thus by means of the key for turning the plug 0 it may be forced into, or withdrawn from, the split bush p, the expansion or contraction of which acts correspondingly to expand the cylindrical member a or allow it to contract by its inherent resilience. A similar arrangement is provided at the opposite end.

The bearing housing 12 is secured to the cylindrical member a round substantially the lower half of its circumference, as viewed in Figure 1, adjacent the cutting edge 0. At each end the rotary cutter has a journal 2 rotatablein a block 3 slidable linearly in the housing '0 toward and away from the cutting edge 0 but normally held against the cutting edge 0 by a compression spring 6 interposed between the cylindrical member a and the block 3. A tube 4 formed at the end of the block 3 telescopes in a mating bore 5 in the housing 12 and surrounds the spring 6.

It is to be understood that it is desirable .to provide means for indicating the position which the adjusting member occupies so as to show the state of the cylindrical head a. That is to 'say, there may be engraved or otherwise prowhich a bladed member is revolved within a.

slotted head, said head being cylindrically tubular and being formed with a longitudinal slot" having a cutting edge adapted to be engaged by a bladed member disposed within the head, and screw wedge means readily operable by a user for expanding the inner diameter of said head when moved in one direction and for permitting contraction of the head when moved in a second direction.

2. A head for a safety razor of the type in which a bladed member is revolved within a slotted head, said head being cylindrical and hollow and being formed with a longitudinal slot having a cutting edge adapted to be engaged by a bladed member disposed within the head, means readily operable by the user for expanding the inner peripheral dimension of said head, said means including at least one wedge member screwed axially into said head and operable when turned in one direction to expand the inner pe' ripheral dimension of the head, turning of the wedge in the opposite direction permitting contraction of the head.

3. A head for a safety razor of the type in means readily operable by the user bers and operable when 4 which a bladed member is revolved within a slotted head, said head being cylindrical and hollow and being formed with a longitudinal slot having a cutting edge adapted to be engaged by a bladed member disposed within the head,

for expanding the inner peripheral dimension of said head, a split tubular member in said head at each end thereof, the inner surfaces of said tubular members being threaded and being irusto conical with their smaller ends located inwardly of the ends of the head, said means including a pair of screw wedges for threadedly engaging the frusto conical surfaces respectively of said tubular memturned in one direction to expand the inner peripheral dimension of the head, turning in the opposite direction permitting contraction of the head.

ERNEST CHARLES GARRARD. KENNETH HARROLD.

" REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this-patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

